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Historic 1920s Signature Quilt Donated to Canadian County Museum
El Reno Uncategorized

Historic 1920s Signature Quilt Donated to Canadian County Museum

The Canadian County Museum is pleased to announce the donation of a remarkable signature quilt dating back to the 1920s,...
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Crossroads of the Continent
El Reno History

Crossroads of the Continent

By Brian Rukes, El Reno Historian, November 2023 While it is true that MANY cities and towns tout themselves as...
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Legend of John Wilkes Booth
El Reno Famous People History

Legend of John Wilkes Booth

By Brian Rukes, El Reno Historian, April 2025 This post, is perhaps the most astounding, most fantastic, and arguably the most...
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Jesse Chisholm’s Death, the Chisholm Trail, Highway 81, the Crossroads of the Continent, and the Rock Island Railroad in El Reno
Distinguished Residents El Reno History

Jesse Chisholm’s Death, the Chisholm Trail, Highway 81, the Crossroads of the Continent, and the Rock Island Railroad in El Reno

By Brian Rukes, El Reno Historian March 4, 1868 marks the date Jesse Chisholm passed away, the man for whom...
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Miss Etta Dorothea Dale
Distinguished Residents Schools

Miss Etta Dorothea Dale

By Brian Rukes ERPS Historian What were some of the major accomplishments of the person for whom Etta Dale Junior...
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History of El Reno
El Reno History

History of El Reno

Early El Reno, photograph, 1901; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2435360/m1/1/?q=EL%20RENO%20: accessed December 10, 2025), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting El Reno Carnegie...
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Some of El Reno’s First
Business El Reno El Reno Stores

Some of El Reno’s First

SOME OF EL RENO’S FIRST The FIRST BANK was established in 1889 by S. W. Sawyer and called the Bank...
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El Reno Fire Department
El Reno Fire Department

El Reno Fire Department

Early El Reno Fire Department Attributing research and compilation too: Carolyn Marquardt Barker (1939 – 2018) In the beginning the...
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El Reno

Origin of Early El Reno Street Names

Attributing research and compilation too: Carolyn Marquardt Barker (1939 – 2018) In June 1889 George Lambe was hired by the...
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El Charo Theatre
El Reno Theaters

El Charo Theatre

El Caro opening day-night Courtesy of Tommy Neathery's Collection   Interior of the El Caro Theater in 1940 (Photo from...
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Ho Ho the Clown – Ed Birchall
Famous People

Ho Ho the Clown – Ed Birchall

Edward P Birchall - Ho Ho the Clown Edward P. Birchall was born July 16, 1923 at Colchester, Connecticut.  He...
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El Reno Reformatory History
El Reno History

El Reno Reformatory History

The federal reformatory was constructed in the southeast corner of Fort Reno military reservation.  The first ground was broken on...
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Kelso’s Department Store
Business El Reno

Kelso’s Department Store

Kelso’s Department Store, owned by James E. Kelso, was the first department store in El Reno, Oklahoma. Kelso's was a...
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